Page 63 of Good Vampires Go to Heaven

He felt tears well in his closed eyes at the utter pleasure/torment of their kiss. It was wonderful. It was terrible.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Reflexively, he turned her head and sank his fangs into her neck.

And she let him.

He drank deeply. Only for a second. But it was enough to feel as one with this woman. He could swear they melded together. This fanging was more intimate than an actual mating.

Was she truly his lifemate?

Did he have no say in the matter?

Was she Eve to his Adam, tempting him?

Or was he tempting her?

What did it all mean?

Surely, pleasure this intense is of another dimension, he thought, and had no idea where that word dimension had come from.

With an inner strength that he didn’t know he had, Zeb drew away from her.

She stared up at him, dazed.

And he responded, finally and belatedly, to her question, the one posed when she’d first extended her hand for a shake. “It’s a deal,” he said. “God help me, it’s a deal.”

Chapter 13

They were a sight to behold . . .

Regina waited with Zeb on the lawns in front of the castle where nine hundred or so vangel warriors had gathered. Mostly male, but there were some female vangel soldiers, as well, Regina included. A hundred vangels remained on Grand Key Island where they provided defensive security for Sigurd’s and Ivak’s families. Both men were here now, but Sigurd would return to the island shortly.

Yes, nine hundred was a large number of bodies, but the fields surrounding the Transylvania castle covered several acres, and some of the vangels had arrived only this morning. Despite the appearance of disarray, or one huge crowd, there were prearranged military groupings, based on a vangel interpretation of army rankings. Today, Vikar, Ivak, Trond, Mordr, Harek, Cnut, Jogeir, Sigurd, and Karl would act as generals. Under them would be captains, and lieutenants/soldiers. Regina and Zeb would be captains serving under Jogeir.

It was a huge clearing, mostly grass, on the flat top of the mountain, not unlike the motte and bailey castles of old. The man who’d built this castle, an eccentric lumber baron, must have spent a mint just leveling this area.

The vangels, regardless of rank, wore long black cloaks over their apparel, whether it be denims or tight braies. Easier to hide weapons that way. And they were all heavily armed. And all of them had elongated fangs, a reflex preparatory to battle. Some of them had braided their hair, or beards, in the old Viking style. Some had even put temporary tattoos on their faces and arms. At least, she thought they were temporary. Mike would have a fit over body embellishments like that, considering it another sign of Viking vanity.

She could only imagine what they must look like from above. A huge flock of ravens, about to take wing. Although there was not a wing in sight.

And Regina fit in perfectly. She had chucked her demure gown, after Zeb’s teasing, and wore a black turtleneck shirt tucked into black jeans which were tucked into black ankle boots. Her wild red hair, the bane of her appearance, in her opinion, was twisted into a tight braid and wrapped around her head in a coronet. Being adept with knives, she had an assortment sheathed in specially sewn inner pockets, along with her compact M11 Sig Sauer, and a few throwing stars. She’d never been very good with swords.

Zeb, of course, had no hair to braid, and he was concerned about reflections on his bald pate. So he camouflaged it with dirt and fireplace soot. He, too, wore the long vangel cloak over black attire, in his case black T-shirt, black jeans, and black athletic shoes. He carried a sword as well as a foldable AK-47. Extra mags holding up to thirty bullets each were stored in specially designed pouches of the chest rig he wore. In other words, he looked hot, as in sexy as hell. Like a bald Magic Mike would look in vangel attire.

Even though they didn’t touch, she was very aware of his proximity. Ever since the kiss, she’d avoided getting too close to the rogue. Zeb had told her that they were already married in his old religion. My husband, she thought, testing the words on her brain. They weren’t as repulsive as she would have expected.

But she couldn’t think about any of that now.

Vikar, clipboard in hand, stood on the wide front steps of the castle with his brothers. As he called out the various mission assignments, groups of vangels along with one of the brothers or other high-level vangel commanders were expected to either disappear into the air via teletransport, or go off to the long driveway or the parking garage to get their vehicles.

There was no joking around or hum of conversation, as there normally was before an operation. This was stone-cold grave business, literally.

“Karl, as mentioned before, will stay at the castle. He will keep a hundred vangels with him here. It’s not the building so much that needs protection, but the precious occupants.” He referred to his family, as well as Karl’s, Cnut’s, and Mordr’s.

“Got it,” Karl agreed and led his contingent in a file around Vikar, up the steps, and through the open double doors into the castle.

“The rest of you, leave as your assignments are announced. You already have instructions. If you complete your mission, contact me on your secure phones, and I’ll direct you to where your help is most needed.

“Our first stage is intended to destroy all of Jasper’s strongholds and the Lucipire council commanders who hold them, Horror Castle being the last and final battle of phase one. This will not happen in one day. In fact, it may take as much as a week. Take as long as necessary.”